"Nobody posts a selfie of themselves gasping for air": 8 things no one tells you about high altitude expeditions

Blame it on those picture perfect social media posts or the human desire to try something challenging, high-altitude expeditions are becoming much more popular, especially after the pandemic.

Demand is rising for Everest Base Camp, Kilimanjaro, Aconcagua, Island Peak, Lobuche, and even full Everest summits. As per a report published in Kathmandu Times Nepal issued 469 Everest permits in spring 2025, one of the highest totals ever. In 2023, it issued a record 479 permits. For 2026, early permits were already ahead of the previous year at the same point. Similarly, the country's Department of Tourism reported that climbing permit revenue tripled in 2025 compared with previous years, showing stronger demand and higher spending. Shreekant Dhumale, Founder-Sagarmatha Explorers in an exclusive with Times Travel shares below how high altitude expeditions are not what they appear to be and 8 things no one actually reveals about themI’ve spent many nights in a cold tent, listening to the wind howl against the canvas and sharing my two cents of mountain experience.

If there’s one thing I’ve learned guiding people on high-altitude treks and technical expeditions—where 8,000 feet is the standard threshold for altitude sickness—it’s that the mountain has a funny way of stripping away your ego. At these heights, roughly 2,438 to 3,658 meters above sea level, the air changes, and so does the game.You see those glowing summit photos on social media—the bright down suits, the prayer flags, the sun hitting the peak—and you think, I want that.

But nobody posts a selfie of themselves gasping for air at 3 AM in a frozen tent, or trying to force down a bowl of bland oats when their stomach is tied in knots and their head feels like it’s in a vice.Before we even lace up our boots to head out on an expedition together, I want to give it to you straight. Success at 5,000 meters and beyond isn’t just about grit; it’s about humility. Here are the eight things that usually catch people off guard.1) Your Gym Membership Doesn’t Guarantee a SummitI’ve seen elite athletes—guys who crush it in the gym back home, deadlifting double their body weight—get flattened by altitude within the first three days. Meanwhile, I’ve seen 55-year-old hobbyist hikers, who just walk their dog every day, stroll right past them.Why? Because the mountain doesn’t care about your “personal best” on a treadmill or how many protein shakes you drink.

High altitude is a game of biology and adaptation, not just muscle. The secret isn’t being the strongest; it’s being the most patient.In my camps, we have a saying: Slow is fast, fast is slow. If you try to race the mountain, you’ll lose every time. Go slow—slower than you think you need to. Bistari, bistari (slowly, slowly).

That’s how you win.2) Getting Sick Isn’t a WeaknessThere’s this weird “tough guy” culture where trekkers try to hide their headaches or nausea from me because they’re embarrassed.

Stop doing that. Altitude sickness is a physical, biological reaction, like getting a sunburn or a bee sting. It’s not a reflection of your character or your fitness.If you tell me early—when it’s just a dull throb behind your eyes—we can fix it with a rest day, extra hydration, or a slight adjustment in pace. If you hide it because of pride, that’s when it turns into HAPE or HACE, and suddenly we’re calling for a helicopter ride home.Trust your guide, not your ego. We are a team; your health is the mission.3) You’ll Forget What a Good Night’s Sleep Feels LikeAt 5,000+ meters, your body is literally re-tuning itself to survive on 50% less oxygen. This leads to something called periodic breathing. You might wake up suddenly feeling like you forgot to breathe, heart racing. It’s terrifying the first time, but it’s just your brain adjusting. I tell my groups: Don’t chase sleep; just chase rest.

If you lie there in your sleeping bag, warm and still, your body is recovering even if your eyes are open.

If you spend all night stressing about the fact that you aren’t sleeping, you’ll be twice as tired the next day.Accept the mountain insomnia, listen to the glaciers shift, and just stay warm. The sleep will come when your body is ready.4) The Real Battle Is the Six Inches Between Your EarsAbout 70% of the way through a summit push, your body is going to quit.

Your legs will feel like lead, your lungs will burn, and your fingers will feel like they belong to someone else. That’s when your brain starts making very logical-sounding excuses: I’ve seen enough. The view is probably the same from here. I miss my bed. I’m not a professional anyway. The people who stand on the summit aren’t necessarily the ones with the biggest lungs; they’re the ones who can tell that inner voice to shut up for just five more hours.

It’s a mental game of one more step.Use your poles, find a rhythm with your breathing—step, breathe, step, breathe—and keep moving.5) Eat Even When Food Looks Like CardboardWhen you’re working that hard, you’d think you’d be starving, right? Wrong. At high altitudes, your appetite just vanishes. Your body shuts down non-essential functions like digestion to save oxygen for your heart and brain.But here’s the deal: if you don’t eat, you don’t have heat. Your body needs fuel to keep your core temperature up in sub-zero winds.

I’ve had to literally parent grown adults into finishing their dal bhat or force-feeding them a Snickers bar.Think of food as medicine—you don’t have to like it, you just have to take it. Dal Bhat Power, 24 Hour isn’t just a catchy phrase; it’s a survival strategy.6) The Summit Fever TrapGetting to the top is only half the journey. Most accidents happen on the way down because people use 100% of their energy to reach the peak, leaving nothing in the tank for the descent.

A summit is a temporary ego boost; getting back to base camp is the real victory. As your guide, my job is to watch your fuel gauge. If I tell you it’s time to turn around—even if the peak is right there—it’s because I want you to be alive to tell the story.The mountain will always be there next year; you might not be.7) Hygiene Is a Creative Art FormYou’ll go a week, maybe two, without a proper shower. You’ll become best friends with wet wipes and learn the mountaineer’s wash.

You’ll wear the same socks for three days.It sounds gross sitting in your living room, but on the mountain, it becomes the norm. You stop caring about how you smell and start caring about how your toes feel. Small things—like keeping your feet dry and your water bottle from freezing inside your sleeping bag—become the most important tasks of your day.8) You’ll Come Back DifferentYou go up there wanting a trophy, a medal, or a profile picture, but you come back with something much better: perspective.

When you’ve spent a week living out of a duffel bag, pushing yourself past what you thought was your breaking point, the “big problems” back in the city—the traffic, the emails, the slow Wi-Fi—don’t seem so big anymore.You realize you’re a lot tougher than you gave yourself credit for. You realize that humans don’t need much to be truly happy: just some warmth, a bit of food, and a clear view of the stars.The mountains are beautiful, but they’re honest. They don’t care about your job title or your bank account. They only care about your preparation and your spirit. If you’re ready to be honest with yourself, leave your ego at home, and put in the work, I’ll see you at the trailhead.Are you ready for the climb?